How should I adjust sourdough baking for hot and humid climates?
Hot and humid climates can definitely affect sourdough baking. In these conditions, you'll want to pay extra attention to hydration and fermentation times. Higher temperatures can speed up fermentation, so consider reducing your bulk proofing time to avoid over-fermentation. For more detailed tips on managing fermentation in different conditions, check out the chapter on Fermentation in "The Sourdough Framework."
Answered by Hendrik, The Bread Code
From the book
As explained earlier the key to making great bread is a slow but not too slow fermentation. Enzymes require time to break down your dough. Taking all this into consideration, I try to aim for a fermentation time of around 8 to 12 hours. This seems to be the sweet spot for most of the flours that I have worked with. To achieve this, I use around 5 % of sourdough starter in summer times (temperatures around 25 °C (77 °F) in the kitchen). In winter times I opt for around 10 % up to 20 % sourdough starter (kitchen temperature around 20 °C (68 °F)). This allows me to use a sourdough starter that’s not in perfect condition. As explained earlier, your bread dough is essentially a gigantic starter. The low inoculation rate allows the starter to regrow inside your main dough into a desirable balance. Furthermore, the enzymes have enough time to break down the flour. This also allows me to skip the so-called autolysis step completely (more in the next section). This greatly simplifies the whole process.
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